At least 12 people were killed last night in Rome when a coach plunged into a ravine. Police said about 30 passengers were aboard, and the Italian news agency Ansa said they were Turkish tourists on their way back from a party in the city centre.

Last night the Foreign Office said it was unaware of any British nationals involved. A spokesman for Rome police said that the bus had fallen 20 metres (66ft) into the garden of a private home; rescue workers had freed some of those trapped in the wreck, many of them thought to be seriously injured, and were transporting them to hospitals.